Angel Studio’s biopic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer turns the German pastor and resistance fighter into a far right Evangelical radical, causing a stir before its German release.
The political climate after the alarming election results seems the ideal breeding ground for the problematic subtext of director Todd Komarnicki’s biopic Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologist and resistance fighter. In line with the dangerous ideas of right-wing Evangelicals, Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. paints the peaceful humanitarian who advocated for tolerance, empathy and compassion and was murdered by the Nazis as a violent religious radical. Bonhoeffer’s family denounces the crude cooption of the prominent theologist in an open letter. Behind the coarsely directed, awkwardly acted story filled with historical errors stand the faith based Angel Studios. Their last cinematic hit was the infamous Sound of Freedom.
Bonhoeffer has the unwholesome potential to become equally successful. The reasons are hardly cinematic grace. On a technical level the over two hour long concoction is basic at best. Cinematography is shoddy, costumes and makeup look unconvincing and the plot is only “inspired” in the calculated misrepresentation of biographical facts. Even the more harmless inaccuracies reaffirm its crusty reactionism and thinly veiled bigotry. This perfidious subtext is especially troubling since the real Dietrich Bonhoeffer was very different from his fictional alter ego. The protagonist (Jonas Dassler) never learns the humanist lessen from the profound plain caused by his older brother’s death in WWI.
Komarnicki’s Bonhoeffer returns from his studies abroad to find his home country in the grip of the rising Nazi party. At later point he will refer to their ascent as an invasion from within. Not only this phrase is suspiciously evocative of the typical alt-right terminology that vilifies “wokeness”. As so often in historic films about the Third Reich, the Nazi’s systematic step-by-step approach is misinterpreted as an unexpected takeover. After he realises that denouncing the Nazi’s integration of a largely supportive, fundamentally antisemitic church into their “Reich Church” won’t help, Bonhoeffer joins the resistance under his bishop Martin Niemöller (August Diehl).
Despite the increasing terror from the Nazi caricatures, Bonhoeffer travels into the UK as a secret agent, indirectly convinces Churchill (only recognisable from the signature cigar) to declare war, and organises a bomb to kill Hitler. The assassination in cohorts with his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi (Flula Borg) and brother Klaus (Leonard Tryde) fails and Book nhoeffer is subsequently executed at the Flossenbürg concentration camp, albeit in a much different manner than in reality. This misrepresentation which goes beyond the common conflation and condensation of mainstream cinema turns Bonhoeffer’s life into a textbook for rightwing vigilantism. This bigoted subtext hides behind heavy handed faux tolerance.
During his seminary studies in the US, a young Bonhoeffer accompanies his Black fellow student Frank (David Jonsson) to a Harlem jazz club. Promptly, the only white guy is asked on stage to play with Louis Armstrong who applauds him together with the whole club. The scene oozes supremacist smugness which is further emphasized by Frank’s lack of individual motivation. Black characters only exists to point out Bonhoeffer’s sense of equality, female characters only exist as homely mothers talking sauerbraten recipes. Bourgeoise heteronormative domestic idylls equal moral uprightness. Tellingly, the director never mentions the real Bonhoeffer’s engagement, as his protagonist is only enamored with his mission.
A Prophet for Right-Wing Evangelicals
The unnecessarily convoluted narrative shifts between present and past purely to ravel in kitsch and sentimentality. Simultaneously, Bonhoeffer’s role in the attempted assassination of Hitler is heavily overstated. Whereas the real Bonhoeffer informed influential contacts in the UK about the Nazi’s crimes and helped Jews escape to Switzerland. This rescue effort was the true reason for his arrest, not plans to kill Hitler, something the film’s protagonist seems outright eager to do. A man devoted to saving human lives is twisted into a religious vigilante hell-bent on killing. His faith focused on humanism and altruism is perverted into a extremist religious agenda, the very thing the real Bonhoeffer wrote against.
Understandably, not only the Bonhoeffer family is upset. Several of the German actors and the German distributor Kinostar seem less worried about the filmic falsification than about its justified challenging by Bonhoeffer’s relatives, theologians and historians. So what’s the best way to deal with it: Denial, distance or disguise? Key cast members Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, Moritz Bleibtreu and Nadine Heidenreich, among others, publicly distanced themselves from all right-wing and radical hijacking of Bonhoeffer’s heritage. For the German release on 13th March the words “Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” have been removed from the title. The gun the protagonist carries on the US poster has disappeared on the German print, as has the background image of Hitler.
The latter’s screen time amounts to maybe 25 seconds and he never interacts with the main character. Nevertheless, Hitler’s depiction on the original poster is more than sensationalist advertising. It’s a conspicuous cue to the US target audience. It would most likely be familiar, if not incensed by right-wing evangelical radicals such as Eric Metaxas, radio host and author of the bestselling Bonhoeffer biography “Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich”. The fervent Trump supporter with German roots regularly compares recent events in US politics to German history. Only his Führer-stand-in is Biden, not Trump – which would make sense since the president’s cronies give knee-jerk Nazi salutes.
When the Department of Homeland Security issued warnings about the danger of domestic terrorism, Metaxas referred to this in a tweet as “our Reichstag’s fire”. His book has been criticized by historians and theologists for its historical errors and embellishments, specifically its depiction of Bonhoeffer as an Evangelical fundamentalist in support of violence. The misconception of Bonhoeffer’s persona has even coined the term “Bonhoeffer moment” which refers to a moment of moral clarity when one has to act against one’s own principles to prevent evil. For the title character of Komarnicki’s film, which had its US premiere on day after the election, this is the decision to assist in killing Hitler.
Dangerous Lessons
As a co-conspirator against Hitler warns Bonhoeffer “This will take dirty hands”, referring to the assassination plan, Bonhoeffer replies: “It’s all I have to offer”. In case that wasn’t clear enough, he adds: “Send me”. He proceeds to compare himself to David who slew Goliath though he was a shepherd, and says Hitler was “the first [evil ruler] I can stop.” One almost excepts Bonhoeffer to go full Liam Neeson mode from here. Instead, he gives a sermon while his co-conspirator meets Hitler (who looks comically unlike the historical person) while carrying an explosives belt. However, he doesn’t dare to let it go off.
The moments when he is supposed to detonate are intercut with Bonhoeffer preaching “When Christ calls a man he bids him: come and die”. It all looks as if Bonhoeffer would have encouraged suicide bombings in the name of Jesus Christ. In face of Metaxas’ radical rhetoric such scenes may hold a dangerous violent potential. Both the director and the German distributor deny any connections to Metaxas’ biography. Never mind the glaring similarities besides the title, that Metaxas promoted the film on X and mentions it on his website. There he crowdfunds for a whole Bonhoeffer series based on his book.
Kinostar claims on its website that “Todd Komarnicki has made a film which decidedly speaks out in favor of the fight against right-wing thought.” Given the history of Angel Studios alone, this sounds as bizarre as the film’s German dubbing. Characters speak as if they would read their lines which include words and phrases that sound like a parody of 17th century German. No one spoke like that in the 1910s to 1940ies and most likely no one spoke like that anywhere ever. Paradoxically, the low quality might turn into a positive thing as it could prevent the production from becoming an educational school film.
At least Kinostar chief executive Michael Rösch seems to hope that kids see Bonhoeffer as depicted on screen: “There is a great interest for ‘Bonhoeffer’, not only by viewers interested in Christian themes but also by historically interested visitors and those interested in humanist themes, and of course from schools”. The film would indeed make great teaching material, if only to demonstrate how movies can become tools for propaganda and how one person’s legacy can be perverted into its ideological opposite. The film closes with a text that suggests the churches involvement in the Nazi crimes was due to a lack of faith. The contrary is true: It was too much faith – and in the wrong thing.
- OT: Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.
- Director: Todd Komarnicki
- Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki
- Year: 2024
- Distribution | Production © Kinostar
